Josh Allen’s recent shootout victory extended a dominant streak defined by narrow margins and home-field mastery, leaving the Lions desperate to snap a 35-year drought in Buffalo.
The Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions don't meet often, but when they do, the results have been heavily tilted in Buffalo's favor.
The Bills have won each of their last five meetings with the Lions, a streak that dates back to 2010 when a previously winless Buffalo team beat Detroit 14-12. The most recent victory then came in 2024, when Josh Allen accounted for four touchdowns and the Bills took down the Lions 48-42 in a shootout at Ford Field.
That five-game winning streak is part of an even longer stretch of success for Buffalo. The Bills have won seven of their last eight games against Detroit, with the only loss coming in 2006. That game, played at Ford Field, ended with the Lions beating Buffalo 20-17
Since then, the Bills haven't lost.
The Bills have won by an average of just three points in those games, and almost all of them have come down to the wire. But wins are wins, and the history is even more favorable for Buffalo when the game is played at home.
The Bills haven't lost to Detroit in Buffalo since Dec. 22, 1991, when the Lions won 17-14 in overtime. That remains Detroit's most recent victory at Buffalo.
Since that game, the Bills have hosted the Lions four times and won all four. Buffalo defeated Detroit 22-13 in 1997, 24-17 in 2002, 14-12 in 2010, and 14-13 in 2018.
Overall, the Bills lead the regular-season series 8-4-1 through 13 meetings. The teams first met in 1972, playing to a 21-21 tie, and have faced each other only 13 times thanks to the NFL's scheduling system for teams in separate divisions.
Of course, that's all in the past. Right now, the two teams head into Thursday's monumental game, both 1-0 and feeling good about where things stand. Both teams have Super Bowl aspirations and a chance to show they're legitimate under the lights in Orchard Park.
For the Lions, it's a chance to end a streak that dates back 35 years. For the Bills, it's about continuing a run of dominance in a game that means more than just the final score. It's the start of a new era.
The Bills and Lions kickoff on Thursday night at 8:15pm ET.
